Mother/Daughter Book Swap 3. March

Month three coincided with Beth's revision schedule moving up a gear as GCSEs are getting closer. Also, she wasn't such a fan of Graham Greene, so she didn't race through her book as she normally does. Consequently we're running a bit behind! So this is what I said about 'The Heart of the Matter' by Graham Greene: Set in colonial West Africa during the Second World War, this book deals with the life of Scobie, a deputy police commissioner. Trapped in an unhappy marriage and trying to avoid the bribes of Syrian smugglers, Scobie tries to do the right thing until events overwhelm him. Heartbreaking. A+ This is what Beth thought: It was well written and has interesting use of language. But it didn't have much a plot and it was SO boring and depressing. It was really depressing. Not the most successful one then... This is Beth's assessment of "Deadlands" by Lily Herne: Yes, OK, this is a zombie book. But: it’s got loads of kick-ass female characters, political intrigue + anarchy! I’m only putting the first book down because I GUARANTEE you will want to read the sequels A+++ And this is what I thought: I was dreading this one, as I'm not a fan of zombie books, but I was pleasantly surprised. Beth was right about the kick-ass females and that I'd wanted to read the sequels. I liked the explanation for why zombies existed (an alien invasion leading to a virus that infected and reanimated dead bodies) and the members of the teen gang were much more interesting then those in 'Thieves Like Us'. Nice to have a black heroine in Lele, and I loved her tough and stubborn character. Atmospheric, dark and exciting, it left me wanting more. With Beth's GCSE's getting closer, it's good her next book is short. I hope she likes 'Oranges are no the only fruit' by Jeanette Winterson more than 'The Heart of the Matter'. Meanwhile, I have begun "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green. Vastly different from 'The Fault in our Stars' which I liked but I'm enjoying it so far. As always we'll tell you what we think in a month.